Denis DeBauche:
CLASS OF 1970
East High SchoolClass of 1970
Green bay, WI
Denis's Story
Alright, here we go. After my dad got out (1972) of the Standard Service Station in Allouez, I moved to Denver. There I began work as a brick layers helper. Pay was excellent, but the job didn't last long because of the 'incident'. We had just completed a job on the sixth floor of a high rise development. I realized there were a good amount of brick left over, which when weighed later were found to weigh 280 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I went up, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then went down, untied the rope and held on tightly to assure slow descent of the 280 lbs of brick. Then all Hell broke loose! Weighing only 185 lbs myself, to my surprise I was jerked off the ground so suddenly that I lost presence of mind and forgot to leave go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. Near the third floor, I met the barrel which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This is where I fractured my skull and broke a collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, stopping only when I jammed my fingers of the left hand deep into the pulley. About the same time, the barrel ...Expand for more
of bricks hit the ground, causing the bottom of the barrel to give out. Now the barrel, free of its load of bricks, weighed only 50 lbs. As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. Near the third floor, I met the barrel coming up, fractured both ankles and had numerous lacerations on my legs and lower body. My luck then began to change. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately cracked only three vertebrae. As I lay there in pain, I lost my composure once again and left go my grip on the rope, allowing the barrel to...
Well, after taking a year or so off to regain my strength, I decided to take a less dangerous job working on an oil rig (1973). That is a another story itself.
Freeing myself completely of dangers, I became a painter 1977.
Along the way I got married in 1973. We had a beautiful daughter in '74 and divorced in '76. Hope, my daughter, is now 34 and living in Atlanta selling her art work.
Christmas of 1979, after spending 7 weeks in Spain, I found myself back home here in Green Bay.
I'm still painting (residential) and truly enjoy my work.
In the Spring of 1980, I met my better half, Jackie. She is pictured in the boat with our dog, Stella.
Enough for now. Take care, Denis
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